Former Minister of Youths and Sports, Sunday Dare, has applauded President Bola Tinubu’s approval of ₦1 trillion support fund for households across the six geo-political zones.
Dare said President Tinubu has shown he was committed to addressing challenges of hunger and hardship confronting the citizens.
Describing the ₦ 1 trillion support fund as “perfect“, Dare said, “It must be saluted as a bold statement of commitment.”
The former Minister of Youths and Sports said, “President Tinubu’s approval of a trillion naira fund for immediate roll-out of the National Construction and Household Support Programme, covering all geo-political zones in Nigeria comes at the perfect time.”
On Thursday, June 27, President Tinubu in a National Economic Council (NEC) meeting with 36 state governors and the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, approved a ₦ 1 trillion for National Construction and Household Support Programme.
According to Ajuri Ngelale, Tinubu’s Adviser on Media and Publicity, the one trillion naira fund would boost agricultural productivity, strengthen the economy by creating opportunities in the real sectors of agriculture, manufacturing, and construction, as well as provide urgent economic relief for Nigerians.
In a further breakdown, Ajuri said of the ₦1 trillion, ₦ 10 billion would be one-off allocation to states and the Federal Capital Territory for the procurement of buses and CNG uplift programme.
The fund would also ensure delivery of a ₦50,000 uplift grant each to 100,000 families per state for three (3) months and provision for labour unions and civil society organizations.
₦155 billion would be deployed for the purchase and sale of assorted foodstuff to be distributed across the nation.
Speaking during the NEC meeting, Tinubu told the governors that his administration was out to support all states’ programmes to ensure the country produces what the citizens consume.
Tinubu advised the governor to take action to address rising hunger, stating “it is getting late“.
He said, “Our states must work together to deliver on the critical reforms required of us to meet the needs of our people. Time is humanity’s most precious asset. You can never have enough of it. It is getting late.
“We are ready and able to support you in the form of the mechanization of your agricultural processes and the provision of high-quality seedlings.
“We are prepared to provide solar powered irrigation facilities to support our farmers across seasons, but we must now produce. We must produce the food our people eat, and it will require coordination and intentionality between members of the National Economic Council (NEC).
“There is nothing we are doing that is more important than producing high-quality food for our people to consume, buy, and sell. We create jobs in the production of it. And that is before we generate wealth by exporting the excess. It is not beyond us to achieve this for Nigerians.”
